


Of forest green and sky blue

by NayruSol42



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Byleth can't handle the pining and wants to help out, Caspar openly in love with Linhardt but Linhardt is pining too hard to notice, Casphardt Mini Bang (Fire Emblem), Did I mention pining, Light Angst, Linhardt and Caspar being very dense, M/M, Mutual Pining, Soulmates start seeing color when they first meet and see grayscale when the other is hurt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:40:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27739312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NayruSol42/pseuds/NayruSol42
Summary: In a world where everyone is born seeing grayscale until they meet their soulmate, Linhardt and Caspar don't remember a life before color.
Relationships: Caspar von Bergliez/Linhardt von Hevring
Comments: 7
Kudos: 74
Collections: Casphardt Minibang 2020





	Of forest green and sky blue

**Author's Note:**

> This is my piece for the Casphardt MiniBang 2020!! Thank you so much to Ren for working with me and for the amazing art she made to go along with this fic! :)

“Lin, Lin!” 

A few rays of sunlight filtered through the leaves of an apple tree, under which the young noble child was sleeping peacefully. Someone--Linhardt knew exactly who--suddenly blocked the light entirely. He groaned, peeking slightly with one eye. “Caspar, move over. I’m resting.” 

The little blue-haired child grinned and dropped down next to Linhardt, mimicking his position and closing his eyes. He was able to stay still for about ten seconds before rolling over to stare at his friend.

“Hey, hey Linny.”

“What.”

Caspar grinned at his annoyance and looked at his hair.

“You know, your hair is a pretty color.” He said, never losing his smile. Linhardt frowned.

“You can see color, Cas?” He asked, finally opening his eyes.

“Yeah! But my dad says only grown-ups can see them, once they meet their soulmate and whatever. Not even my brother can see color yet!” He said, grinning even wider and rolling on his back to look at the sky.

Lin kept staring at his friend, noticing the light teal color of Caspar’s hair, the slight tan of his face, the reddened area in his cheek where he had scraped himself earlier.

“Huh.” He said, only staring. “Hey Cas, when did you start seeing color?” 

“Hmm? Dunno, I don’t really remember not seeing them. And you, Linny?” Linhardt looked away, barely hearing the last part. The leaves were the same color as his hair, the sky the same color as Caspar’s.

Since when could _ he _ see color, anyways?

“Linnyyyy you didn’t answer!” Caspar said while laughing. Linhardt rolled his eyes and dropped his head heavily on Caspar’s stomach, making him wheeze and laugh even louder.

“Whatever Cas, I’m tired. I’m just gonna sleep right…here...” Caspar only laughed and tried to stay still.

“Father, Caspar said he can see color.” Linhardt told his father at supper, pushing his food around with his fork. His father nodded.

“He must have found his soulmate, then.” He said simply. Lin nodded in thought.

“He can’t remember ever seeing in black and white, so he met his soulmate when he was very young.”

“Mhm.”

“I can see color too, Father. That must mean I’m--”

“Linhardt.” Lin snapped out of his musings at his father’s stern tone.

“...Yes, Father?” Count Hevring looked straight ahead.

“As you know, since you are my first son and of noble birth, you have certain responsibilities.”

Linhardt sighed tiredly. “Yes, father, I know--”

“And as such.” His father interrupted again. “You will forget about the subject of soulmates altogether. It’s no use thinking about something that won’t concern you. Do not ever bring it up again with anyone, especially the Bergliez boy, understood?”

Linhardt frowned, but nodded. He wasn’t very hungry anymore.

“Hey, Linny.” Caspar said, sitting next to Linhardt while he dozed off under the same tree, years later. Linhardt only hummed. “Do you think I’ll find my soulmate again in Garreg Mach?”

Linhardt looked at him for a second. Caspar kept talking.

“I mean, not that I could know who they were anyways. But they’ll probably be there, right?! A school full of all the young nobles I could have met as a kid!”

Linhardt sighed. “Yeah, probably.” 

Caspar smiled in thought and laid down beside him. “I wonder what they’re like! Maybe...a really short and cute girl, or maybe a really tall and muscular guy! Or wait, scrap the tall part.” 

Linhardt laughed dryly. “I bet they’re taller than you.” Caspar elbowed him with a laugh.

“Shut up! I can still grow a few inches before we join the academy!” Linhardt let himself smile a bit. “I wonder what they’ll think of me though. I bet they won’t like the color of my hair, it’s too bright.”

“Why? It suits you. Bright and pretty like the sky.” He said calmly, closing his eyes once again.

“Wait what?! Lin, can you see color too?!”

Linhardt’s eyes snapped open to Caspar’s excited grin. Linhardt shrugged nervously, looking away. “I...guess.” 

Caspar grinned, leaning over Linhardt and blocking the sunlight again, his sky-colored hair shining. “Huh. You know, that means you and I could be soulmates! What a thought, huh?” He said with a carefree smile.

Linhardt couldn’t answer. He was too caught up in his beating heart and the need to avoid the question. Caspar couldn’t speak either, he was too focused thinking of his best friend. What a thought indeed.

“Linhardt! We’re leaving!” His father called from the entrance of the Bergliez manor, bickering with Caspar’s father. Linhardt looked away and couldn’t risk looking back into his best friend’s blue eyes.

He didn’t notice Caspar reaching out to him when he left with a hurried goodbye. As he took a carriage back to the Hevring manor, he could only keep thinking of that shade of blue. What if he told Caspar against his father’s wishes? He would probably be forbidden from seeing his best friend ever again. But what would Caspar think? Lin was objectively attractive, but he wasn’t a short cute girl or a tall and muscular guy. Would Caspar be disappointed to know it was him? The scrawny and lazy bookworm he grew up with?

Linhardt sighed. Knowing him, he would be delighted. He was just that kind of guy. Bright and full of sunshine, like the sky. Like his own shade of blue.

He slept on the way to his house. No use dwelling on those thoughts.

“Soooo you two, what do you think of soulmates?” That one tall girl--Dorothea, was it?--asked the pair on their first day in the new academy. Her grass green eyes were mischievous and cunning. Linhardt wanted nothing to do with this.

"I think... It's been too much excitement for me already, I'm going to bed." He said with a yawn. Caspar whined.

"Aw, come on Lin! Don't you wanna get to know our new classmates? Make some friends?" He said with a bright smile. Always that smile.

"Nope, too tired. I already have you anyways." He said, not even sparing Caspar or the rest of his classmates a glance. He just needed to get out of there fast. 

"Boo. Well, what about you, Caspar? Any fantasies? Forbidden romance?" Dorothea asked slyly. Edelgard rolled her eyes nearby.

"Nah, not much. I already met them, but I don't know who they are." He said, never losing his smile.

"What?!" Suddenly the entire table was very interested in Caspar. Linhardt, already leaving the dining hall, couldn't escape Caspar's loud voice.

"Yeah, I met them when I was really young so I don't really remember. I don't care though, I have my eye on someone already, and...well, I don't care if he's not my soulmate, I want to try anyways." 

Linhardt stopped in his tracks. 

"Linhardt? Are you all right?" Byleth asked, about to enter the dining hall. Linhardt breathed in sharply and nodded.

"Yeah, just...tired. See you tomorrow, professor." He rushed out, all but running away. 

It took Byleth a week to finally corner Linhardt to have some tea. Linhardt wasn't sure why a ruthless mercenary was so interested in proper teatime, but he figured it couldn't hurt.

"So, Linhardt. What's going on with Caspar?"

Or maybe it could really hurt. Linhardt almost preferred getting run over by Caspar in training again. Byleth's blank eyes stared right into his soul.

"What do you mean, professor? He's my best friend, I've known him forever." He said, examining a sugar cube before dropping it in his tea.

Byleth leaned back. "Nice tea, isn't it? The merchant told me it dyes so dark we could use it as ink." 

Linhardt looked at it for a second, resisting a yawn. He'd missed his afternoon nap already. "No, I doubt it. It looks dark like this, but it's too yellow to last for long."

"Is it?" Byleth said, innocently taking a sip. Linhardt groaned at his slip up.

"Professor, this is low. Overworking your students and then interrogating them when they're tired?"

Byleth smiled just slightly. "I'm just worried about you both. Why haven't you told him you're his soulmate?"

Linhardt sighed. "It's complicated, professor. Noble duties, you know how it goes."

Linhardt didn't know Byleth's blank face could hold so much skepticism. "It doesn't seem like you care much for those."

"True, but I can't do much about them either. If I left my house though…" He let himself imagine. "I could research to my heart's content all night, sleep all day under an apple tree in the shade, and maybe…"

"Tell him?" Byleth supplied helpfully. Linhardt turned back to his cooling tea.

"That's not going to happen anytime soon though. Maybe once we leave the academy?" He mused. Byleth took a sip calmly.

"As long as you do tell him."

They couldn't even finish that first year in the academy before the war struck. Suddenly Linhardt was the lead healer of the young Emperor, Caspar was in charge of training whatever troops they had, the professor was gone.

He barely noticed those five years pass, never took the time to think of his plan to follow his dreams, and in the blink of an eye their professor was back.

Nothing was normal anymore, not in the middle of a war, but seeing his professor drink tea with Ferdinand, shop with Dorothea, and once again instruct them every week, made Linhardt feel like no time had passed.

Caspar's hair was the same color as usual. His smile had barely dulled with the war.

"Hey, Lin!"

Or at least that's what he wanted Linhardt to think, but he could see him drop his smile at night, when the sky was almost too dark to see.

"Linny, you're spacing out again!" Caspar laughed, sitting down next to Linhardt on the pier. Linhardt had forgotten he was fishing.

"Huh. Guess I am. What do you want, Caspar?" Caspar stole his fishing rod and cast it again.

"What, no 'Cas'? You really must be tired, huh?" He had no idea.

"Edelgard is working me to the bone, Caspar. And so are you. You really have to be more careful in battle." He said with a sigh. Caspar laughed.

"Aw, come on, I only rush into battle cause I know you have my back! And I'm stronger now Linny, I can take it." 

Linhardt looked at him for a second. Standing next to him, in full armor as usual, trying and failing to catch a small fish.

"What, just now noticing how tall and strong I am?" Caspar said, striking a pose. Linhardt laughed a bit and stood to take back his fishing rod.

"Strong, yeah, but I'm still taller." Caspar whined.

"By a few inches! It doesn't count!"

Linhardt smiled back at him, just in time to see Caspar run a hand through his now longer hair. Linhardt wished he could touch that sky blue himself.

The sky was no longer blue. Linhardt frowned. Was there smoke in the air? No, they had almost won the battle already, there were no plans to use fire. He looked down. The grass wasn't green. His robes weren't green. His hair wasn't green.

"CASPAR!" He ran. Edelgard ordered him to retreat, Ferdinand followed him on horseback to guard him from a few soldiers. He didn't care about the rest of the battle.

"He...he was supposed to be here, he should…"

He couldn't see that spark of sky blue anymore. He couldn't see Caspar.

"Lin…?"

On the floor, he could see someone lying down. There was no sky blue, but he would never mistake him for someone else.

"Caspar, what is wrong with you?! I told you to be careful!" His wound was heavy, but he could handle it. He vaguely saw Ferdinand and Bernadetta defend them from the corner of his eye, and one by one their classmates surrounded them.

Caspar smiled slightly as Linhardt focused on his faith magic. "Yeah, but...I know you'll always find me, Lin…" Linhardt couldn't even look him in the eye. Slowly, color started coming back to Caspar's pale cheeks and tussled hair.

Only once Caspar's breath had evened did Linhardt realize he had run through half the battlefield to find him, ignored multiple enemy soldiers and the Emperor's orders, and he would have done anything if only to reach the one he--

_ Oh. _

He breathed out shakily, faith magic no longer glowing in his fingertips. "...That was a lot of faith magic. Just pass out, Caspar. I'll take care of the rest." He said quietly, pulling Caspar's head onto his lap. Caspar smiled a bit.

"This takes me back, huh…" He could barely keep his eyes open. "Hey, Linny…"

"What?"

"Can you...still see color?" He said, opening his still grayish eyes just slightly. Linhardt brushed back Caspar's hair, not quite sky blue.

"Stop talking, Caspar. I told you to rest." He said softly, with no bite in his voice. As Caspar finally passed out from exhaustion, all Linhardt could do was close his eyes and hold him tight.

As soon as Caspar was sleeping safe and sound in the infirmary, Linhardt decided enough was enough. He had felt something in the battlefield, something so deep and scary and so utterly troublesome, considering the situation.

He knew exactly what it was, of course he did, and he wasn't happy with it.

Watching Caspar sleep so peacefully in front of him, noticing every single shade and color unique to him, after seeing him colorless and weak on the battlefield…

Linhardt wanted to touch him. He wanted to hold his hand and touch his hair, he wanted to keep him safe. His fingers lingered for a second too long over bruised skin as he changed his best friend's bandages.

Right. His best friend, and nothing more.

"Hey, Linny? Are you all right? You're spacing out again." Caspar said, much quieter than usual. Linhardt sighed and finished setting the bandages, helping Caspar lie down again.

"I'm just tired, Caspar. I've missed more than one nap taking care of you." 

Caspar looked away. "Oh, I... I'm sorry about that, you can sleep here if you want!"

Linhardt startled at the lack of their usual banter. "No, I...Whatever, Cas. I'm fine, I'm more worried about you."

Caspar smiled as bright as he could. "I'm all right thanks to you, Lin! I'm sure I'll be out of this bed in no time!" He said, only wincing a little. "Hey, but, Linny...I do owe you for saving my skin out there, can I take you out to lunch once I'm better?" He said, his cheeks slightly redder than usual. 

Linhardt yawned. "I'm too tired to go into town, Cas…"

"Aw, come on Lin! Tell you what, you've earned it, once I'm out you wait for me in your room and I'll bring lunch to you."

Linhardt considered it for a second, before his previous thoughts rushed back and he had to look away. "All right, but we'll have lunch somewhere else. I don't want crumbs on my sheets."

Caspar couldn't resist a whoop followed by plenty of wincing.

In the end, after walking all around the monastery trying to pick a spot until Caspar started complaining of their food going cold, they settled right in the middle of the Star Terrace.

“Lin, are you sure this is allowed? Won’t the Professor get mad or something?” Caspar asked, reluctantly setting down a spare winter blanket on the floor. Linhardt just set down their food basket from the dining hall on the floor and plopped down.

“We’re not students anymore, Cas. Professor Byleth can’t give us three weeks of stable duty for skipping class again or whatever. And Rhea is not here anyways.” Caspar sighed and sat down next to him, opening the picnic basket to start setting the food properly. Linhardt simply closed his eyes and let himself enjoy the sunshine.

“I mean, we’ve been in stable duty since you fell asleep in the war meeting and I started laughing.” Caspar said with a lifted eyebrow. Linhardt smiled at the memory.

“Details, Cas. I still doubt the Professor would mind if we ate here.” 

Caspar hummed, back to arranging their sandwiches and their sweet buns on their plates. He laughed at Linhardt’s soft snoring as soon as he was done and shook him awake.

“Come on, Lin! You just woke up from your nap!” He said between laughs.

Linhardt groaned dramatically while sitting up, smiling at the food between them and at Caspar sitting cross legged with him, feeling something warm deep in his chest.

His smile soon dropped at the thought. He grabbed his sandwich and digged in, Caspar soon following.

“Hey, Lin.” Caspar asked with food in his mouth. Linhardt rolled his eyes.

“Chew, swallow aaaand done. What?”

Caspar laughed and set down his sandwich for a second, stopping to drink some water before looking at the sky.

Linhardt stared. On second thought, his hair wasn’t quite the same shade as the sky. It was brighter, maybe more teal. Could it have something to do with the time of day? What time was it anyways?

“Linnyyyy.” Caspar laughed. Linhardt couldn’t resist but smile at his infectious laugh. “You never answered back then. When did you start seeing color?” He asked, taking another bite off his sandwich. Linhardt sighed and shrugged.

“I don’t really remember.” It wasn’t a lie, technically. 

Caspar raised his eyebrows. “Huh? Wow, so, I guess that means…” Caspar laughed sadly. “Guess we never found our soulmates, eh? If they weren’t here, who knows where else they could be.” Linhardt looked away. The look in Caspar’s eyes was too deep.

“I guess.”

“Hey, but...I mean, what’s the big deal anyways? Neither of us ever found our soulmates, but we’re still doing great! We have a lot of friends, the Professor, a war to win, and we have each other!” Caspar smiled brighter than the sun. “We don’t need a soulmate, we should just move on and...find someone else to spend our lives with, you know?”

Linhardt was terrified of the gentle tone Caspar’s loud voice took at the end. Terrified, yet his heart pounded in his chest with something else.

“Yeah...I think you’re right.” He said before he could fully think about it. He avoided Caspar’s gaze still, closing his eyes to take another bite. He couldn’t see Caspar’s shock or the red in his cheeks. 

Caspar’s smile doubled. “Yeah! So, on that note, we should definitely have lunch like this again, right? Probably with a proper picnic blanket though. Maybe the Professor has one?”

Linhardt could barely hear Caspar’s excited musings. He was too focused on trying to pry his eyes away from the sight of Caspar’s hand, so close to his, yet never enough.

“Hey! Good morning Lin!”

Linhardt groaned, barely hearing Caspar outside his door. His bed was so warm, almost unbearably so. He simply turned around to drift back to sleep.

“Afternoon, Linny! Edelgard was mad you missed the war council but I told her you were tired from taking care of me. You have the day off to sleep as much as you like, but don’t forget to eat!” Caspar exclaimed outside his door a few hours later. Linhardt simply hummed at him and turned back around. His bed was getting too hot.

“Huh? Hey, Linny, are you still asleep?” Caspar knocked urgently on his door. Was it already night? Linhardt wished he was asleep, but every time he slept he dreamt of battle, of staining his hands as he cared for Caspar’s wound. Even when he wasn’t being kept awake by nightmares, he dreamt so peacefully of touching Caspar’s waist without having to change a bandage. He dreamt of touching that beautiful sky blue.

He pressed his pillow over his head. Why couldn’t he just pass out as usual?

“All right, that’s enough.” Caspar sighed, before Linhardt heard his door slam open. Caspar strode in to find Linhardt hiding under his pillow. “Linny, wake up! It’s way past sunset now, I was literally heading to the dining hall to have supper!” He said, trying to peel the sheets away from Linhardt. 

He shivered at the sudden rush of cold air. “Caspar, I’m tired. And I’m not hungry, leave me alone.” Linhardt whined, trying to curl up to brace the chill. Caspar frowned at his friend wearing yesterday’s clothes and his hair still up. The bags under Linhardt’s eyes weren’t good either.

“Uh...hey, Linny, are you all right? You really don’t look good.” He said, letting go of Linhardt’s sheet only to have him cover himself again immediately.

Linhardt sighed while rubbing his eyes. “I know, Cas. I told you I’m tired. I haven’t been sleeping enough, that’s all.”

“Not sleeping--Lin, you slept through the entire day! You haven’t eaten anything since yesterday night!” Caspar said, barging into Linhardt’s closet to throw some clean clothes on the bed. “Come on, Linny. Change clothes, let your sheets air out a bit. We’ll have supper and then you can go back to bed.” 

Linhardt stretched and watched Caspar throw him a clean shirt. Watching him worry so much about him was…

He covered his face with the sheets. He didn’t want any more warm feelings today.

“Oh no you don’t! Come on, if I find you still in those clothes and asleep again I’ll just bring the food and eat everything in front of you.”

“You won’t, Cas.”

Caspar groaned at Lin’s confident tone. “I won’t, but still! Please, Lin. I’ll be right back, all right? I’ll just bring everything here.” He said, disappearing through the door again. Linhardt sighed, Waiting just a few minutes to gather willpower to get up, before finally sitting up and changing.

When Caspar came back, Linhardt was under the covers again, wearing fresh clothes including a very loose linen shirt that probably belonged to Caspar. His green hair was finally loose and spread over his shoulders. If Caspar hovered over the doorway for a second too long, Linhardt didn’t take note of it.

They ate in near silence, Linhardt constantly yawning and Caspar staring at him worriedly. Linhardt finally noticed after a few minutes.

“Cas, I’m all right. I just need sleep.”

“Yeah, but...you never have trouble falling asleep.” He said, resting his chin on one hand. Linhardt leaned back against the foot of his bed.

“It’s just…” Linhardt rubbed his eyes. How much of the truth could he say? “I’m...worried, Cas. About the war.” Caspar nodded.

“Yeah, that’s fair. I’m worried too.”

“You are?” 

“Of course I am!” Caspar said, finishing his food. “I mean, obviously I’m worried about my dad, but all of us here too. We go into battle all the time, we never know...if all of us are gonna come back each time.” Caspar looked at him directly. Linhardt looked away.

“I worry about that too.” Linhardt said. “I’m also thinking of what comes next, though. Once we’re done with the war, then what? Edelgard will make you a general and make me the official crest scholar or whatever, and then just...work, forever, and never see each other again.” Linhardt mused, his gaze distant. 

“What?! No way, I’m not leaving you to become a general!” Caspar suddenly stood up. 

“No, Cas, I meant all the black eagles. Although...I guess  _ we _ wouldn’t be able to see each other every day anymore.” He said quietly. Caspar stayed silent for a second. Would that be for the best?

“No, I…” Caspar dropped down on one knee before Linhardt, grabbing his hand. Linhardt felt very close to a heart attack. “Linny, we don’t have to do that! We don’t have to keep serving Edelgard forever and just...become what we were always meant to be. We can do something else, stop being nobles and, I don’t know, travel or become teachers here or something! We could...you know, we could stick together after this.” He said, looking at Linhardt with all the hope in the world. Linhardt couldn’t look away this time.

“That sounds like a lot of work, though…” He said with the slightest of smiles. Caspar grinned.

“Come on Linny, we would be together all the time! I could just carry you if you got tired!” Caspar laughed. Linhardt actually laughed with him, before yawning again. “Oh right, I forgot you were tired. Come on, back to bed.” He said, standing up and reaching down to help Linhardt stand. Linhardt grabbed his hand without a second thought.

Once he was back in bed and ready to fall asleep, he noticed Caspar wasn’t quite leaving. “Cas? Do you need something?” He asked with his eyes already closed. Caspar scratched his head sheepishly.

“Well, um...I’m really worried about you, you know, I don’t want you to stay up all night again, and you used to sleep so well when we shared a bed when we were kids, so...it’s worth a try?” Linhardt watched him ramble with wide eyes, before pulling back the covers of his bed and moving until his back was against the wall. Caspar sat down to take off his boots and coat, before slipping into bed with him. The tiny student beds were definitely not enough for two grown men. Their arms touched no matter how they laid down, and so it felt like the most natural thing in the world for Caspar to scoop Linhardt on his chest and wrap his arm around his back.

Linhardt wanted to protest, but he couldn’t find the words.

“Um, I hope this is all right? I just...really want you to rest. You’re safe here, Linny. You can sleep.” He said shakily, trying to hold Linhardt tight without hurting him. Linhardt breathed deeply to calm his beating heart, before curling over Caspar and nodding. 

“It’s fine, Cas. Thank you.”

He slept better that night than every other night since he was a child.

Sleeping on Caspar’s chest was an absolute success, but sleeping alone at night became so much worse. 

Linhardt could barely get an hour of rest at a time. He was woken by nightmares of the war and by hopeful dreams of the future. As he laid awake in his bed his thoughts drifted to Caspar, to every single one of his colors and on how right it felt to be by his side. Linhardt didn’t know if he’d rather be asleep, awake, or throwing himself into books he could barely focus on lately.

“Linhardt, are you all right?” Byleth asked him after the latest war meeting, gently but firmly guiding him to the dining hall to make some tea. Linhardt just let himself be pushed around by the Professor.

“Why do I feel like I’ve been asked that a lot lately…”

Byleth simply sighed, grabbing some pastries and expertly preparing tea in silence. Once they were in Byleth’s favorite teatime spot, Linhardt could no longer evade the question.

“Professor, I...think I might actually go through with the plan I told you of five years ago.” 

Byleth nodded calmly. “About abandoning your noble house and telling Caspar, yes.”

“Exactly. It was also so I wouldn’t have to work all my life, but now...well, Caspar himself suggested it.”

“Oh?” Byleth’s expressionless face seemed so deeply curious that Linhardt couldn’t help but laugh.

“You definitely enjoy finding out gossip about your students, don’t you Professor?”

Byleth smiled a bit wider than usual. “Of course I do. I want to make sure all of you are okay, though.” Linhardt smiled.

“So, as I was saying. Caspar told me he wants us both to abandon our noble houses and travel together, or maybe become teachers here once the Officers Academy is rebuilt. I think it sounds like a hassle, but…”

Byleth took a sip. “He wants to stay with you after the war, even thinking you’re not soulmates.” Linhardt didn’t like that wording, it made his stomach feel strange.

“He...does, I guess. Huh. So...maybe it’s not necessary for me to tell him after all?”

Byleth laughed a bit and bit into a croissant thoughtfully, talking while chewing. “I think he’d be happy to hear it, though.”

Linhardt groaned. “Not you too, Professor! Please finish eating first!” The Professor smiled, glad to see Linhardt hadn’t changed with the war.

Linhardt woke up with a headache on a Sunday, and he already knew it would be a bad day. He dressed up in his bishop armor almost with his eyes closed, yawning all the while. Judging by the sheer amount of light outside, Linhardt suspected he could barely be on time for breakfast if he left immediately.

“Hey, Linny! Come on, we have to go! I brought you breakfast for the way!” Caspar knocked on his door urgently. Linhardt only yawned and followed him outside.

He needed to focus, he had to. He casted a psychic on Ferdinand, another one on Jeritza. He could barely see through the smoke of the burning city of Fhirdiad, but he never lost sight of Caspar’s bright blue hue. He was still all right, at least. 

He winced after his faith magic stopped glowing. His clothes were still damp from the rain at the Tailtean Plains even through the raging fire around him, and his headache had only gotten worse after witnessing the fall of King Dimitri. He wished he could stop thinking entirely until after this battle. He healed Hubert, only to get a questioning glance from him, since he was barely hurt at all. Huh.

“Everyone, we have to retreat! Catherine is here, we need Ferdinand and Jeritza on the front!” Dorothea yelled at Byleth, who was guarding the back near Linhardt.

“Ferdinand, Jeritza, you heard Dorothea! Caspar and Petra too! Bernie, Hubert and Dorothea fall back and support them! Linhardt,” the Professor turned to him, “keep an eye on them, Jeritza can heal but he’s not quite himself at the moment.” Linhardt nodded, immediately regretting the movement. “Are you feeling all right?” Linhardt appreciated the gentle tone.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. I’ll get closer, I can’t quite reach Ferdinand from here.” Linhardt replied absently, every step as he ran pounding on his head and bringing him closer to the flames. Byleth nodded from behind.

His vision was blurring. He healed Hubert again, was he hurt? He hadn’t slept again, too caught up in the fear of the incoming battle. He healed Caspar for good measure, before remembering he had to save his spells for the final battle and regretting it. He heard a woman scream, but it wasn’t one of the black eagles. They kept moving forward, Linhardt closed his eyes for a second, just a second to try and calm his headache--

“LINHARDT, MOVE!” He barely heard Byleth’s voice behind him. He only felt searing pain on his side and looked down at the stray arrow before promptly passing out.

Suddenly, the glowing sword in a shaken Petra’s hands was no longer golden. There was no more red around Caspar’s feet, only gray.

“Linhardt is hurt!”

He couldn’t speak. All the pieces fell into place, every single loose end and suspicion and hopeful wish suddenly made sense. Caspar could only run as the world lost more and more color with each step. He shoved past Hubert, jumped through the flames, he saw flowing hair that wasn’t green anymore and his eyes weren’t open and he was--

“LIN! Lin, open your eyes, please! Please don’t leave me, Lin, not after--”

The hand he was holding squeezed back. Linhardt groaned without opening his eyes. “Settle down, Cas. I’m all right, the Professor got to me in time.” He said quietly. Byleth smiled from behind him, faith magic glowing around Linhardt. 

“Linny come on, please open your eyes! I need to tell you something!” 

“Caspar, I’m  _ trying  _ not to look down or I’ll faint again! What are you--” Linhardt opened his eyes carefully, only to see Caspar’s dazzling smile as he held his hands.

“Linhardt, we’re soulmates! I’ve figured it out! I couldn’t see any color when you got hurt and then I started seeing a bit once you opened your eyes and--”

Linhardt’s eyes snapped open. Byleth behind them smiled warmly. “Caspar, what--”

“Here, if I get hurt you'll see! I’ll prove it to you!” He said, running back beyond the flames. 

Linhardt reached out. “Caspar, wait! You don’t have to--” He caught red in the corner of his eye, before his vision went dark again.

The bed was soft when he woke up, but not as soft as his own. It smelled oddly like lavender, like the extract Bernadetta had gifted him for the infirmary beds. Linhardt sighed and touched his wound, already safely bandaged and mostly healed with faith magic. He opened his eyes slowly, letting them adjust to the faint light coming from the window. He could hear a lot of movement outside the building, a lot of yelling and orders being issued. He even thought he could hear Edelgard’s voice amongst all the noise. Once his vision had adjusted, he couldn’t miss that flash of light blue. It was so close, so much closer than he should be. Linhardt looked down, to see their beds hastily pressed together and a hand limply holding his own. Caspar slept deeply beside him, his own wounds bandaged as well. 

Linhardt sighed. That fool had gotten himself hurt trying to convince Lin, like he needed any convincing. So...now what? Had they defeated the Immaculate One? Was the war over? Could they…

“Linny? You’re awake?” He heard a weak voice beside him. Caspar’s bright eyes were barely open, and the hand holding his own tightened.

“I’m awake, Cas. What happened to you?” Linhardt asked. He cleared his throat, feeling how rough his voice was. How long had they been out?

“Oh, you know. I might have taken on a dragon all by myself. It wasn’t so bad!” He laughed, before holding his ribs with his free hand. “Hey, but, did you see? I was out cold at some point, you definitely must have seen it!”

Linhardt looked at him blankly. “Cas, I fainted the second you left me. I didn’t see anything.”

“W-what?! But-but then you still need proof! Hang on, is this a second floor? Whatever, I can take it--”

In a second, Linhardt had let go of Caspar’s hand to press both of his hands to Caspar’s cheeks. “Caspar, don’t you dare! You don’t need to prove anything.”

“But Linny--”

“No Cas, I...I’ve known forever, all right?” Linhardt tried to move his hands, but Caspar’s own held him in place. “I’m sorry, I was forbidden from telling you. I…”

“Hey, Linny.”

“What?”

“We’re soulmates.”

“We...are, yes? Caspar, did you hit your head?” 

Caspar laughed a bit. “Yeah, pretty hard, but Lin! We’re soulmates!” He smiled so brightly, Linhardt couldn’t help but do the same.

“Cas, what…”

“Linny.” He looked at him. “Linny, I don’t care if you couldn’t tell me, I’m sure you had a reason, but! We’re soulmates! I just…” He laughed so warmly, Linhardt wanted to hear that sound forever.” I can’t believe it. All this time I was so worried you wouldn’t love me back just because I wasn’t your soulmate, and now--”

“Wait, excuse me?”

“Uhhhh--Oh, who cares. Linhardt, I love you. I’ve loved you for ages and...and it’s all right if you don’t love me back, we can just be soulmate best friends and travel the world together if you want and--”

“Caspar.”

“What?”

Linhardt didn’t even need to think it twice. “I love you too.” He said, smiling so gently at this dumb, bright, adorable, perfect soulmate of his.

“Oh.”

Neither knew who had started, but within seconds they were both laughing on their infirmary beds, Linhardt caressing Caspar’s cheek and Caspar still holding Linhardt’s hand in place. Once Caspar started wincing over his wounds, Linhardt scooted closer, just enough to rest his forehead to Caspar’s. Caspar sighed contentedly, raising his face just slightly, and finally kissed Linhardt. 

Linhardt kissed back with a smile, carding his fingers through the sky blue he had always yearned for, and pressed Caspar closer to him. He never wanted to let go.

“So, Linny…”

“Yeah?” Linhardt said, eyes drooping beside him.

“You, me, the whole world…What do you think?”

“I think…” Linhardt started with a yawn. Caspar smiled at his favorite shade of green, watching as his soulmate could barely stay awake as he spoke. Linhardt smiled. “I think we need a nap first.”

Caspar laughed and held him tight. They had all the time in the world now.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading and remember to check out Ren's art in her twitter @ren_renners ! :D


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